


Where The Heart Is

by crumplelush



Series: tumblr prompts [9]
Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Young Avengers
Genre: Angst, Bromance, Brotp, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, Mary is a terrible person and an awful mother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-17
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-03-18 06:16:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3559145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crumplelush/pseuds/crumplelush
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s a bank robbery in progress downtown, which is such a cliche but it happens. It’s not a supervillain attack, or alien invasion, so probably doesn’t need the attention of superheroes, but there are hostages and the robbers look to be settled in for the long haul. Besides, the Young Avengers haven’t done anything hero-y for a while now so it’d be good to get out.</p><p>Written for the prompt 'number 14 (“Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.”) with Tommy and Billy from YA?'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Where The Heart Is

**Author's Note:**

  * For [complexities](https://archiveofourown.org/users/complexities/gifts).



There’s a bank robbery in progress downtown, which is such a cliche but it happens. It’s not a supervillain attack, or alien invasion, so probably doesn’t need the attention of superheroes, but there are hostages and the robbers look to be settled in for the long haul. Besides, the Young Avengers haven’t done anything hero-y for a while now so it’d be good to get out.

It’s all over incredibly quickly. Billy teleports them all in and Teddy, Tommy, Noh and America basically knock everyone holding a gun unconscious while David and Kate get the doors open for the police. Billy starts to untie the hostages. And that’s when everything falls to pieces.

“Thomas?” comes an incredulous voice at a very high pitch, and the woman Billy is untying is staring at him in horror.

“Errr, no”, he replies and turns to look for Tommy who zips into the room before stopping still. Billy has never seen him so motionless before and he thinks that Tommy might be having some kind of attack when he hears his twin whisper

“Mom?”

The other Young Avengers stand still in shock as realise what’s happening.

“Thomas? What on earth are you doing?” the woman - Mary, Billy belatedly realises - screeches at Tommy, as though he’s doing something wrong. Tommy cringes which makes Billy wince. Tommy is normally so cocksure of himself - arrogant some might say - and to see him folded in on himself like this is like watching birds flying backwards. Billy hates it.

“I’m sorry”, Tommy replies, his voice sounding small and lost. Like a child.

Even the other hostages and assorted police officers have fallen silent and are watching in horrified fascination. 

“I heard that you broke out of your detention centre. I assume with the help of your new ‘friends’ here, hmm? I cannot believe you. After everything you put me and your father through, all the problems you caused us, and you throw everything back in our faces?”

“I’m sor-” Tommy starts to say again, but he’s interrupted by Teddy stepping forward.

“No. Tommy has _nothing_ to be sorry for. You should be ashamed of yourself. You sent your son away to be tested and experimented on like a lab rat. You disgust me” he rants, and Tommy is looking at Teddy like he’s just grown another head. He’s standing half in front of Tommy, as if to physically protect him from the assault coming from the woman who gave birth to him.

“ _I_ disgust _you_? I sent him away to be cured. Instead he revels in his abnormality and plays dress up with you freaks!”

“There’s nothing abnormal about being a mutant!” Kate explodes, and she moves next to Teddy to form a mini-wall. Tommy’s looking between the two of them like he can’t quite figure out what they’re doing and it physically pains Billy to see how little Tommy thinks of himself. He literally cannot figure out why his friends are protecting him like this.

“Blowing up a school with your bare hands is not normal behaviour. It’s disgusting, what you all do. What you all are.”

Noh steps forward at the same time as America, and David slings his arm around Tommy but that turns out to be the wrong thing to do because in a split second he’s gone.

“Good riddance to bad rubbish” Mary pipes up and Billy hears an incredulous policeman in the background muttering “jesus fucking christ” at her reactions, and watches as Noh strides forward to say something to her. Billy doesn’t know what though, because he has more pressing matters to hand.

“IwanttofindTommyIwanttofindTommyIwanttofindTommy...” he chants and everything goes blue for a moment while he teleports to wherever his twin is. He’s surprised to find that it turns out to be his old bedroom at the Kaplan house. But Billy doesn’t think about it too much because Tommy is squeezed into the small gap between the bed and the dresser, his knees pulled up to his chest and his yellow goggles hanging around his neck. He’s breathing erratically and it takes a moment for Billy to place the sound - not because he’s never heard it before, he has lots of times. But because the very idea of it coming from Tommy is just too awful for Billy to comprehend. Tommy is _crying_.

“Tommy? Hey Tommy, it’s Billy” he says as he falls to his knees in front of his brother.

“What do you want?”

“I’m here to help Tom.”

“Go away. You can’t help me. And why would you even want to. I’m disgusting. I’m abnormal. I need to be fixed.” The fact that he’s not bitter when he says it breaks Billy’s heart. Tommy believes it. He genuinely thinks he’s broken and that he doesn’t deserve help.

“That’s not true. She’s crazy and doesn’t have a clue what she’s talking about. Just because she’s prejudiced that doesn’t mean she’s right. In fact quite the opposite.”

“I’m her son. What does it say about me that my own mom hates me?”

“Your mom loves you. Your real mom, not the woman who happened to give birth to you and then signed you over to the government the first chance she got. Mary is an awful person and she’s not your family. Not your real family. That’s us, and we love you.”

“Why? Why do you even care?” Tommy asks, and he’s so earnest about it. Billy has to remind himself that turning Mary into a frog will not be helpful for Tommy right now. It might make Billy feel better, but it won’t help Tommy and that’s the thing to concentrate on at the moment. No promises for tomorrow though.

“You’re my twin. That means I’m always on your side. Even if you did something horrible - which you haven’t done by the way - I’d still be here for you because that’s what we do. We share a soul, you can’t get rid of me that easily.” Billy smiles and Tommy has stopped crying but still looks unsure.

“But...” he attempts to argue his point, but Billy won’t let him put himself down any more.

"Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always." 

“What if I try to take over the world?” Tommy says, and it’s a welcome return to see his irreverent sense of humour so Billy plays along.

“As long as I get Hawaii I’m happy.”

Tommy laughs. “Alright. OK, but what if I eat the last of the chocolate ice cream?”

Billy sucks in some air between his teeth and pretends to consider his options. “Well, in that case all bets are off Shepherd. I’ll literally follow you into hell and to the ends of the Earth, but chocolate ice cream is a step too far.”

They both laugh and Billy reaches out to grab Tommy’s hands in his. Tommy doesn’t pull away, which is new, and they sit like that for a few minutes before Tommy shifts and mutters “My ass is getting numb”.

That breaks the tension and they both clamber to their feet. They decide to head back to headquarters and await the rest of the team there. Tommy doesn’t want to go anywhere near the bank or his mother, and Billy feels the same. He doesn’t think he can resist doing something unpleasant to the woman if he ever meets her again.

The rest of the team file in a short while later and the first thing that happens is that America stomps up to Tommy with a face full of thunder and pulls him into a hug.

“If you try to get out of hugging anyone here I’m going to flatten you”, she threatens him and Tommy feels oddly touched.

David and Tommy bro-hug it out, much the same way they do when they meet up for coffee - and even then it’s only because America is glaring at David when he tries to fist bump Tommy instead.

Teddy literally picks him up and squeezes him and Billy’s laughing so hard that his eyes water.

“I love you man. You’re like the annoying kid brother I never had and I’ll squash anyone who says anything mean about you. Except Billy obviously.”

“Put me down you massive oaf!” Tommy wheezes and Teddy complies, only for Noh and Kate to squish him in a big pile together.

“Awww” someone says, and Billy joins in the cuddle puddle, shortly joined by Teddy and the rest of the team. Tommy is complaining loudly.

“Jeez, get off of me you guys. This is gross. Like seriously, I mean why are - hey! Who kissed my cheek? Kate, please tell me it was you? It must have been - alright who has their hand on my ass?! Cuddle time is over!”

He vibrates subtly, just enough for them to let go of him and him to get out of the pile. They all separate and fall onto the sofas in their usual formation and start arguing about who’s going to get the pizza this time.

Tommy volunteers and they all know it’s because he needs to run off his embarrassment at publicly having emotions and people caring for him. No one mentions it though and Billy watches as Tommy takes the order and collects the money with a smile on his face that’s he failing to hide.

Billy smiles too. Tommy is happy and is with his true family. That’s all that matters.

**Author's Note:**

> I hoped you liked it. I'm crumplelush over on tumblr if you want to chat or throw me another prompt at all. :)


End file.
